The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1887-09-17
ABOUT oFe,ce BOYS,
The only Way TO Have q Good One IL TO
Hire New Ono Every Week.

The only Way TO Have Good One IL 60
Hire u New ono Every Week.
The oflice-boy question has almost as
many sides to 1t as the servant-girl
question. Yet It is with diflidcnce that
l offer my share in the discussion.
There are certain characteristics of the
office boy, however, that ought to be
brought out; and as special instances
are more valuable, or ut any rate more
interesting than general statements,
let me relate something about two
individual boys: One of these was
named Joe. He was q genius in his
way, but his way was not my way. His
talents were of u mechanical order. He
ought to have been made apprentice to
a fashionable plumber or u first-class
burglar. 1t was one of his duties to
tend door. His seat was separated
from the outer door by small ante
room. He was very active boy, but
he would work hard for three hours to
save himself two or three trips across
the room. The door closed with q
catch. and he rugged q wire to that,
passed it through staples around the
three sides Of the anteroom, and so
into the room that he sat in. F
When knock came ut the door. Joe,
sitting triumphant on his stool. would
pull the string, and presto! the door
was mysteriously opened. This ar
rangement pleased him great deal
more than it did me. One day heard
a peculiar grunting noise in the ante
room. l called Joe, but he did not
come. went to the door to see what
was the matter, and there found him
hanging by the knees from the ceiling,
head downward. He had Knocked the
cane seat out of stool, screwed Il pul.
ley into beam overhead, and rugged
up some ropes in such way that when
he stuck his knees through the seat Of
the stool and pulled with all his might
on the ropes, he was elevated. knee:
first, toward the ceiling. Then he tied tho
end Of the rope fast to the STOOL After
doing this, he found that he could
neither unite nor get his legs out, so he
had to stay there. These are only two
out of many instances that might bt
cited.
Joe was of very little use to me. ant
he covered my rooms with such a lot o.
nails. screws, pulleys. wires. strings
and other things of the sort that hard
ly knew the place. He lad to go
Ned was different sort of boy. HI
was older than Joe, and he did so wei
the first week that l thought l hat
found a treasure. therefore willing
ly advanced him another weeks salary
He did not come on Monday. Tuesda,
morning he said an aunt of his hat
died, and he was obliged to attend til,
funeral. The excuse was accepted.
did not know then that Ned had tifteel
aunts, all liable to die at any time;
sick father and mother, and seven littl
brothers and sisters who were constant
| ly meeting with accidents.
Neither did know that his borrow
ing habit was invetcrate. When h
left me figured up, and found that
had paid him, in four months, abou
twenty dollars more than his salary
mostly in loans of twenty-five to fit,
cents. The list might be extended al
most indefinitely. One boy is an artis
and covers all available walls wit
drawings. Another is anxious to i'm
prove his handwriting, and practice
on the backs of your law papers am
pamphlets, or uses up your best lette
paper and envelopes. Almost all otfic
boys are good-for a week. Afte
that they get careless, Indifferent an
sometimes decidedly "uppish." Th
only way to keep good Office boys is t
get them fresh once week.-John "
Penrose, in Epoch.